Archives for February 14, 2011

‘Keeping Adam, or bringing him up now, would mean 23 players on the roster, and the recently sold Sabres want only 22, a decision based strictly on finances. “There are lots of guys in the American league and you wonder, geez, why isn’t he in the NHL? But it’s a numbers game. Mark Mancari, here in Portland, is leading the league in goals. This is probably his sixth year as a pro and he’s had close to 70 points every year. Sometimes it has nothing to do with how good a player is. It has everything to do with contracts — how many they want on the NHL team, whether a guy is on a one-way or a two-way contract, whether he has to clear waivers.”’

‘"It’s definitely frustrating," said Drew Stafford, who recorded his fourth hat trick with 6:41 left in regulation when he scored the Sabres’ sixth goal. "Usually, you score that many goals and you’re going to win, but unfortunately we let it slip away."’

‘This team isn’t good enough to make a run if Miller isn’t playing at a high level. He’s been far from that this year. He’s now 31st in the league in goals-against average at 2.78. Miller has allowed four or more goals 13 times this year. He gave up four or more goals in a game just seven times last season.’

‘Well, that was a game the Sabres should have won hands down. Mikko Koskinen was not good before he was pulled from the net for the Islanders, and I am being kind to Al Montoya when I write that he was shaky at best between the pipes. Drew Stafford showed up for another game for the Sabres but Ryan Miller had one of his worst outings of the season. Several of the goals allowed you would like your reigning Vezina trophy winning netminder to stop. Anytime you score 6 goals on the Islanders you should win, no doubt about it.’

”Miller wants more direct questions, you know, like he’d get in Toronto or New York while getting torn apart by allowing seven goals in a game his team needs in a season he’s spent mired in “the funk,” as Cornel West calls it. So, here’s how you fix it: tomorrow, ask Miller, “Where’s your Vezina form?” and “Do you think your contract includes too much money considering you haven’t been all that good?” Also, promise him you won’t forget that the entirety of last season’s successes can be credited, more or less, to how good he was. And thank him for the Olympic run, which was amazing.